Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fricoter

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The English translation of the French verb fricoter is “to fricassee” or “to dabble in something.”

The infinitive form of fricoter is pronounced “free-koh-tay.”

The word fricoter comes from the Latin word fricare, meaning “to fry.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and originally referred to a way of cooking involving frying and mixing various ingredients together. Over time, the meaning evolved to refer to any kind of activity or action that involves a mixture of different elements.

In everyday French, fricoter is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Plus-que-parfait tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are 3 examples of fricoter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’étais heureux que tu aies fricoté avec nous hier soir. (I was happy that you had joined us last night.)
  2. Il fallait que nous ayons fricoté avec ces gens-là pour comprendre leur culture. (We had to fricassee with these people to understand their culture.)
  3. J’avais peur que tu eusses fricoté avec ces escrocs avant que je ne te mette en garde. (I was afraid that you had fricassee with these scammers before I warned you.)

Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of fricoter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse fricoté J’aurais aimé que je eusse fricoté. I wish I had fricoted.
tu eusses fricoté J’aurais aimé que tu eusses fricoté. I wish you had fricoted.
il eût fricoté J’aurais aimé qu’il eût fricoté. I wish he had fricoted.
elle eût fricoté J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût fricoté. I wish she had fricoted.
on eût fricoté J’aurais aimé qu’on eût fricoté. I wish one had fricoted.
nous eussions fricoté J’aurais aimé que nous eussions fricoté. I wish we had fricoted.
vous eussiez fricoté J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez fricoté. I wish you had fricoted.
ils eussent fricoté J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent fricoté. I wish they had fricoted.
elles eussent fricoté J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent fricoté. I wish they had fricoted.

Other Conjugations for Fricoter.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fricoter
    (this article)

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Fricoter – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

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